


And then the world changed

by Smallestgeek (Geektaire)



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bigbrother!Enjolras, Gen, M/M, Past minor character death, daddy!Grantaire, slow start
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-23 17:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/929053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geektaire/pseuds/Smallestgeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras was just about to get to the point in his lfe he had spent the last 10 years wanting to be, he fresh out of law school with a new job in a firm that agreed with his ethics; but life is never that simple... At 27 his life as a young single career minded man was just starting, while his mother's and step father's was just ending. Now as the legal guardian to his 5 year old, excuse me, almost 6 year old little brother his life has taken a turn down a road that he had never imagined he would travel.</p><p>Enter his brother new best friend, a little boy with curly dark hair and green eyes that seemed to stare right into your soul, with a fashion sense so weird he can never understand... and a father that he can't help but loath, well at least that's what he tells himself to be able to sleep at night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Everything has a begining

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm starting this... I'm going to try and write as fast as I can (and hopefully the muse won't leave me this time). I know they are OCC, it's a moder!AU!!! Everything will be explained if you stay with me....

“You're going to be late in your first day!”

“Coming!”

“For God's sake, what is taking him so long?” Florent Enjolras moved out of the kitchen as he muttered those words towards the room that used to be his office. “I specifically told you last night we were leaving at exactly eight thirty, and it's already eight twenty...” his words died in his mouth as he pushed open the slightly ajar door to look inside. 

He sighed and closed his eyes as he took in the scene in front of him. “I'm stuck,” he could hear the tears in his voice as he moved to kneel in front of the small boy who had been trying to put his head through the arm hole of his polo shirt. “I'm sorry,” Enjolras muttered as he helped him dress himself, “I should have helped you get dressed.”

“I'm a big boy,” Enjolras saw why his mother used to say his little brother looked just like him. He had seen that same expression in his face more than once. “I know Michel,” he said giving the five year old a smile, ruffling his white blond hair as he did so, “Mom used to help me too when I was your age though.”

The boy stopped scowling and gave him a small smile, “she helped me bathe too.” Enjolras sighed and dropped his head, he felt as tears filled his eyes and he almost started crying when he felt Michel small hand patting his head. “I'm sorry Michel,” he raised his head and put his hands on his little brother's shoulders.

“It's alright Flo,” he said, “You're just learning, it's alright to make mistakes.”

He gave him another squeeze as he stood up, “What shoes do you want to wear?”

“Can I wear my spider-man trainers?”

“How about this black ones?” Enjolras said as he picked a pair of perfectly polished black shoes, “this way you'll be wearing a business casual look.”

Michel gave his brother a weird look, before nodding and sitting on the bed as Enjolras helped him put them on. “Are you nervous?” he asked him as he started putting on his right shoe. “A little bit,” the boy sighed as the older Enjolras helped him with his left one. “I'm sure you're going to be alright.”

“I guess so.”

.-.-.-.-.

“Rise and shine little man!” a burst of light hit the boy in the bed right in the face, groaning he just pulled the closest pillow to cover his head.

“I'm sick.”

“Liar, liar, pants of fire!” a shriek was heard as the boy was pulled from his nest of covers and pillows and thrown into the air. “Dad!” he yelled and laughed at the same time as his dark mess of curls moved from one side to the other as his father moved him from side to side carrying him like a baby.

“Are you really sick?” bright blue eyes, unlike the boy's green ones, started into him. He just shook his head and threw his arms around his dad's neck. “Alright,” his father said as he started moving both of them to the bathroom. “How about we shower, and then as you get dressed and then proceed to go jump over Gav, I make us some pancakes for breakfast?”

“Yes!” he pumped his little fist into the air in excitement. “Grantaire! Keep the volume down!” a sudden voice was heard yelling out of one of the closed doors.

“Which one?” the little boy yelled back as both men entered the bathroom. “Both!,” identical grins appeared on the man and boy's faces as they looked at each other in the bathroom mirror. “Only you would end up having son just as smart ass as you are, R.”

“Are you Rémy?” the boy just nodded as his dad helped him undress so they could take a shower. “Good boy!”

It was around a half an hour later, after they had finished showering and after Rémy had jumped over Gavroche to get him to wake up, that both Grantaire and his son were finally sitting down eating their breakfast. “Daddy?” Grantaire looked up from where he was busy drowning his pancakes in syrup to his son's face.

“We're getting a new classmate today.” 

“Really?” Grantaire grinned as he took in the excited look on Rémy's eyes. He couldn't help but be grateful that his son was nothing like him in that sense, growing up in a loving home with a father that loved him; and the last year with an aunt and a 'Gavroche' who adored him was helping to prevent his little boy from becoming anything like he was at that age... introvert and afraid of anyone he didn't know.

“Yes!” he nodded excitedly, closing his mouth as his father showed him what he was eating... Grantaire had noticed that whenever he did that, Rémy was incredibly grossed out and he would actually get him to close his mouth as he chewed, if it worked he would continue doing it. “Ms. Cosette told us yesterday, she also told us that we should be extra nice to him today because it was his first day and he might be a little tiny bitty scared.”

Grantaire bit his lip trying not to grin, as Rémy was actually really serious as he explained that to him. His son was the most precious thing in the world to him, it was his reason to live, his reason to get up every morning... his reason to stay sober; and every day he would find yet another reason to be grateful of all the shit that had happened in his life. From his wild years in high school, to his almost over dose in university, to him finding out that he had gotten pregnant the only woman he had ever had sex with... he was grateful because all that led to this, to be sitting across the table to his son, hearing him talk about anything with that incredibly cute lisp of his. 

“And what are you going to do to help him?”

“Can you make me an extra funny sandwich?” Grantaire grinned just as Rémy did “and maybe draw something really cool in the bag like you do with mine?”

“What do you want me to draw?” He said as he stood up and started to take everything out to make the extra sandwich he was asked for. “Dinosaurs!”

He just chuckled as he did the sandwich... so Dinosaurs it was.

.-.-.

Michel was standing slightly behind his big brother, as Enjolras introduced himself to the really pretty woman who was going to be his new teacher. He looked inside the room, pressing himself to his brother's legs as he saw all the boys and girls inside, running around and generally being loud as most children his age were. “Michel,” he looked up as he heard his name being called, “My name is Cosette and I'm going to be your teacher,” she was down at his level now, and he just pressed himself closer to Florant. 

He opened his mouth to answer when something ricocheted on his brother's other side, running pass them towards where the rest of the kids had left their bags. “Sorry Cosette! I'm running late.” Was all both brothers heard, and by the time they had turned to look at where the voice had come from the door was closed and the boy who had run inside was on the other side of the room. 

“Rémy,” Cosette said softly, and Michel looked on as a small curly haired boy dropped his bag under a small plaque with his name and ran back to where they were. “How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I'm sorry Cosette,” the boy grinned at the teacher, looking at Michel with a big smile on his face. Michel frowned as he too the other boy in, he was wearing floral print pants, with a purple hulk shirt, avengers trainers and he had a green cape tied around his neck. Michel looked up towards his brother only to see him give the other boy a look. Meanwhile Rémy had moved from behind Cosette and had made his way to him.

“Hi!” he said, the grin still not disappearing from his face. “My name is L.C, do you want to be friends?” Michel looked startled, looking up at his brother who gave him a smile before turning back L.C, who by then had put his hand out, asking with without saying it to him to take it. 

He took it, and Enjolras couldn't help but being a slightly calmer as he heard his little brother ask 'L.C' if his name wasn't Rémy then... “He's going to be in good hands.” Cosette told him as she stood up once more, putting a hand on his arms. “Yes, of course, I trust the school completely.”

“I meant with Rémy, he's a really good kid.” Enjolras just nodded, and sighed as he saw his brother touch the green cape the other boy was wearing, who now he realized had a symbol that looked a lot like the superman one just with the letters L.C inside. 

And with a last look at where his impeccable dressed little brother was sitting with the strange curly haired boy, he left the kindergarten feeling for some reason both relieved and at the same time extremely worried about what the future would bring to both of them.


	2. Not what he was used to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we meet more characters!....

Michel jumped into the back of his brother's Prius as Enjolras opened the back door for him. “Did you had fun?” Enjolras asked him as he helped him settle in his booster. “Yes,” Enjolras chuckled as he closed the door to the car and moved around to get into the driver's seat. “Why did you come late?”

Enjolras looked at Michel in the review mirror, noticing his brother wasn't upset he was just curious. “I'm not really late,” he turned the car on and pulled away from the curb. “I finish my work at four, and the school was a special program for children who can't be picked up earlier.” He had always thought there was no use in lying to his brother, he was smart, he would understand.

“Oh,” was all Michel said as he turned to look out the window. Enjolras was in unknown territory, sure he had spend a lot of time with his little brother, he had been excited for his mother when he had been born and he had send many many gifts to him whenever he could; but this, the day to day thing was different to whatever he had ever experience. “Michel,” the boy didn't stop looking outside and Enjolras sighed as he stopped in a red light. 

“I'm sorry little brother,” he knew he loved whenever he called him that since his other 'siblings' usually kept on saying he was not related to them. “I need to work, but they told me you would have lots of fun.”

Michel turned to look at him, the small smile on his sad face made his heart break. “LC' and his dad stayed with me coloring for a long time,” Enjolras felt a little better as he saw the smile reach his eyes. “They had to leave because they had to pick up Gav at the elementary school.”

“Who is LC?”

“My friend,” the tone of his voice made it sound as if Enjolras was the most stupid person on earth. “The one with the weird clothes?”

The sound Michel made in response to that question made him look at him through the mirror, “Who wears that to school?”

“His Daddy let him chose whatever he wants to wear,” his matter of fact voice made Enjolras frown, “his daddy is super cool, and he drew with us the most awesome spider man ever... and oh!” Enjolras almost stepped on the break at the sudden yell. “He made me a funny sandwich! With a paper bag that had a really really cool dinosaur in it!”

“on it not in it, if it was in it it would have a dinosaur inside, and a funny sandwich?”

“Yes, it's a sandwich with nut.... nut something, that tastes like chocolate, but LC said he calls it a funny sandwich because he didn't use to remember how it was called.”

“And again with the LC, what is his name?”

“Miss Cosette calls him Rémy, but he told me that he likes being called LC better.”

.-.-.-.

“Where is my favorite little man!”

“Uncle Bo!” Rémy yelled as he heard the front door slam open, he stood up from where he was kneeling painting in the small table inside Grantaire's studio and ran out towards the front door. “Be careful to only get pain in Bahorel and not in the rest of the house!” 

“Really funny R,” Bahorel said as he made to enter the studio with Rémy over his shoulders. “Watch it,” he said as he lowered the boy slightly so he wouldn't hit the door frame as they passed through. “How you doing UC?”

Grantaire gave his painting a last look before signing an R in the left corner and leaving the brush aside. “Those are terrible nicknames, you know?”

“I love mine!” Rémy said from Bahorel's shoulders where he had started to hit his head softly as if it was a tambourine. 

“That's because you do have a sense of humor, don't you lower case?”

“Yep!” he squirmed as his uncle brought him down tickling as he did so. “Are you done with this one?” Everyone who had never met the mountain of a man that was Bahorel would be intimidated. With his 6ft 5 inches, and the muscles he had he was easily almost as twice as heavy as Grantaire himself... and half a foot taller, but even if he had been involved in more than one fight in his university days (more like twenty) he had mellowed out, and when he and Grantaire had met, they had instantly clicked. He was now one of his best friends, and the best thing was that he was up to helping him babysit Rémy if he ever needed it. Not many parents would leave their children with someone who looked like him, like he could crush their skulls and then just raise his scared eyebrow like it was nothing... but Grantaire knew he was just a huge teddy bear inside, a teddy bear who could both break your neck and sue you for everything you had... but a teddy bear none less.

“Yes,” Grantaire moved towards some canvas he had on one side of the room, “I finished this ones this morning too.” 

“Wow,” Rémy meanwhile kept on swinging on his left arm, using him like some kind of human jungle gym. “I'm not actually having to rush you into things,” he pulled his free arm around Grantaire's neck and half hugged him half chocked him. 

“It's because I'm not here to play with,” Rémy said as he jumped from Bahorel's arm to his father's. “He doesn't has anyone to play with, so he paints.” At Bahorel's raised eyebrow he continues, “so he doesn't get bored? Haven't you ever tried playing on your own? It sucks.” Grantaire couldn't help but burst out laughing at the tone his son was explaining things to his manager/friend, like it was the most logical thing in the world.

“When did you become so smart LC?” Bahorel asked him as he ruffled his hair, Rémy just laughed and tried to hide his face on his father's neck. 

“So, Who's choosing tonight's movie? I think we should watch Lilo and Stitch.”

“No,” Rémy said as Grantaire sat him in the division between the kitchen and the living room, with Bahorel resting his back against a pillar besides him. “It's Jehan's turn, so we're watching beauty and the beast, and you have to sing all the songs.” The last part was said glaring at the huge man, with his finger pointed at him.

“No pointing,” Grantaire said as he pulled a few take out menus from one of the drawers, “Are we having pizza?”

At both of their nods, he left them behind as he went to order the pizzas. “I have a new friend, you know?”

“Do you now?”

“Yes, his name is Michel, and he's blond, and he wears really funny clothes but he said his brother dressed him.” Bahorel just nodded along as they both watched Grantaire try to make whoever picked up his call take his order exactly right. “I saw his brother when he dropped him off, he looked sad, like he needed a hug.”

“You should give him one if you see him again.” 

“Do you think so?” Bahorel tried not to snicker at the thought of how many small bad ideas he had ever put on Rémy's head, but he was going to continue doing it until he realizes how much bullshit he tells him. “He looked even sadder than Daddy does, when he thinks I can't see him.”

And that was the reason Bahorel loved this kid so much, he was incredibly intelligent for his age and even with his lisp he had a vocabulary a lot other kids would kill to have. “He looks sad often?” He turned slightly to look at him, the boy's eyes never left his father. “Sometimes,” he shrugged, “I think he's lonely.”

Bahorel was glad when the front door opened and the noise of the arrival of Gavroche, Jehan, Éponine and Feuilly distracted Rémy enough to take his mind of his father loneliness. Bahorel just smiled, helped him jump down and patted Grantaire in the back as they left the kitchen to welcome the rest of their weird family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah.... my headcanon for Bahorel is Jason Momoa... sorry Iwy! but I needed big and mountain like, and you are kinda not?.
> 
> Anyway, I'm not sure R is going to meet E next chapter, but I'm sure that they'll know each other by chapter 5. And aren't baby!R and baby!E the cutest things?
> 
> I would love to hear your opinion about the story so far... here or in [Tumblr](http://liferuinedbytveit.tumblr.com/)


	3. Do you remember?

Enjolras groaned as his alarm clock rang, he patted down his bedside table until he finally hit the button to make it stop. With a sigh he sat in his bed, running a hand through slightly curly hair. He stood up and walked into the bathroom and exited 5 minutes after, showered and in his boxers directly to make his bed. 

He looked at the clock and proceed to dress himself in one of his usual suits, he took his shoes and the tie he was going to wear and walked to Michel's room. The room that used to be his office was pretty much the same as it was before Michel moved in two weeks before, only with his furniture pushed slightly to a side to make space to the small bed he had bought for his brother; he had thought of painting it or putting something on the wall to try and make it more personal for the little boy but he had been in that room two weeks and he hadn't said anything so Enjolras didn't brought it up either.

“Michel,” he sat on the small bed and gently pushed his brother's shoulder. Michel was asleep on his side clutching the ragged old teddy bear Enjolras himself had given him as a gift when he was just a baby. “Time to wake up,” he blinked and burrowed his face in the back of the bear. “Do I have to?”

“I thought you would be excited of seeing your new friend again,” with those words Michel moved the bear to actually look at his brother, a smile starting to appear on his face. “and Miss Cosette too.”

Enjolras chuckled and ruffled his baby brother's hair, “And Miss Cosette too, now go to the bathroom and I'll help you with your clothes, alright?”

Enjolras shook his head as he stood up to chose his brother's clothes for the day, and once Michel finished in the bathroom he helped him get dressed, avoiding the drama from the day before. Once both of them were dressed to the nines, and had both breakfast and lunch in their respective bags (spider man backpack and briefcase) they left their apartment to start a brand new day.

“Look! There's LC and his daddy!” Enjolras didn't had time to look at where his brother was pointing since he was driving, and when he tried to see if he could stop somewhere to give them a lift there was no chance to do so.

They stopped by the school a couple of minutes later, Enjolras took Michel's hand as they started walking towards his room. “Remember that I'm picking you up after four, alright?” Michel looked down, and Enjolras crouched down to see him face to face. “Hey, everything will be alright I'll be here as soon as I can.” The he was still in that position, trying to get Michel to look at him when out of nowhere something, or better said, someone barreled into him throwing their arms around his neck and clinging to him. 

Enjolras fell to the floor throwing his arms around what he now realized was a boy as he did, Michel laughed out loud at the shocked expression on his face as he sat in the floor with his arms full of dark curls and was that a tiara? 

“Rémy?” Cosette asked softly as she approached the trio standing in the door to the classroom, “is there a reason why you are hugging Michel's brother?”

At those words the small boy finally pulled away from Enjolras, giving him a huge smile and a smack on the cheek before moving to stand beside his considerable taller blond new best friend. He just shrugged as he looked at his teacher, “He looked like he needed one, and my uncle Bo told me I should.” With that he turned and just as the day before, but this time taking his brother alongside he ran to leave his things for the day. Enjolras frowned and stood up, taking care to pat down the creases that had appeared on his pants because of his impromptu fall. “I'm sorry about that,” Cosette said seriously, though her eyes were bright with mirth.

Enjolras couldn't exactly complain as he saw the same boy, who now he was completely positive was wearing a tiara together with rain boots, long shorts and a button down, make his brother smile and laugh as they moved around the classroom. “It's alright,” and with a last look he left the kindergarten behind and went back to his ordinary life.

.-.-.

“Back so soon?” Grantaire grinned as he walked into his kitchen to see Éponine sitting down at the table with a cup of coffee and his ipad. “Gavroche felt bad because he made LC and I walk 10 meters behind him and volunteered to take the midget to his classroom.”

“He did what?”

Grantaire laughed as he jumped to sit in the kitchen counter, “I think he has a crush on one of the girls in the 5th grade, and he wanted her to see him as the badass 4th grader that walked alone to school.” Éponine groaned and dropped her head on the table, “Girls? I'm not ready for this.”

“I'll have the talk with him if you want to.”

Éponine sighed, “I just don't want him to make some of the same stupid mistakes we made,” she quickly added “even though yours was the best thing that ever happened to your life, but still I don't want him to go through the same stuff we had to go through.”

Grantaire jumped and moved to stand besides her, Éponine put her arms around his waist and burrowed her face in his stomach as he ran his fingers through her hair. “That's why you fought so hard for him Ép, that's why child services decided he was going to have a better life here with us than with your parents.” He crouched down and rested his hands on her knees, “and for that sole reason, both Gavroche and Rémy will have a better childhood that we ever had, because they have parents that will fight for them not like the excuse of parents we ended up saddle with.”

Éponine smiled at him and put her hand on his cheek, caressing lightly his cheek. “Why couldn't you like pussy?”

Grantaire laughed to hard he ended up sitting in the kitchen floor with his arms around his stomach and tears in his eyes, and Éponine... Éponine couldn't help but love the jackass she had as best friend even more. 

.-.-.

“So, how was this morning?” Étienne Combeferre asked his best friend as they met in their usual place for their mid day break. “It was better than yesterday,” Enjolras answered as he put cream and sugar in his coffee and then moved out of the line to find an open table for them to sit. “Is Courf back from his holiday's yet?”

Combeferre pushed his glasses up his nose as he sat across his oldest friend, “Not yet, I remember him saying he was back today,” he took a sip of his cappuccino.

“How's Michel adapting?”

That question had been going around Enjolras head so much the last few days. His little brother appeared fine, sad but overall fine, but there was something that didn't sit well with him; something in his gut that told him there was something coming and he hated having hunches and not facts because he had been wrong before, more than once. “He made a friend yesterday at school,” Combeferre raised his eyebrows at Enjolras expression.

“You don't approve?”

“The kid is nice,” he ran a hand through his hair, “but a little bit, weird?”

Combeferre laughed at the last part, “and you were so normal at that age.”

“I was!” Enjorlas tried not to laugh as he defended himself. “Enjolras, you refused to answer to your name, you used to wear a blue ribbon around your head whenever your parents left you at my home and you were scared of ants because they attacked people!”

“I forget we've been friends since Michel's age.” Enjolras said with a fond smile.

“That's the thing,” Combeferre put a hand over Enjolras in the table, “you've forgotten what it is to be a kid, and it seems this friend of Michel is the kind of kid your brother needs right now.”

Enjolras was still thinking about what his friend had said once he was back in his office. He looked at his clock and saw that it was almost the time Michel's kindergarten day ended, and his extra time started, he sighed and went back to reading the file he had in front of him after all there was no reason so far to think anything was wrong.

.-.-.

“And what in Asgard are you two doing?” Rémy squealed and jumped from where he was kneeling down to throw himself into his father's arms. Michel looked up to the messy haired blue eyed adult with a smile on his face as he let go of Rémy and ruffled what used to be his perfectly combed hair, and sat between them crossed legged in front of the small table.

“We're trying to make a zoo,” Michel told him as he motioned to what the two boys had made so far. Grantaire nodded with a serious face as he looked over the different forms in clay that were standing in the table. “See, this is a bear,” Rémy said pointing to a black mass with tiny ears, “and that's a monkey, Michel did the monkey.”

Grantaire looked at the blue eyed boy and he smiled as he saw him swell with pride as his friend gave him credit. “It's a really good monkey,” he grinned as he reached to take a piece of green clay, “so in what way can I help gentlemen?”

By the time Grantaire and Rémy had to leave, they had a huge amount of small clay animals over the table. After seeing the results of Grantaire's skillful hands both boys had stopped doing their own and had started to just tell him different kinds of animals they wanted in their zoo. Cosette had joined them once the only other kid apart from Michel had been picked up, and together with the two boys had watched as the artist created small replicas of wild animals out of playdough. 

“I'll see you tomorrow,” Michel said to Rémy as the younger boy went to pick up his things. “Michel,” he looked up only to see Grantaire crouching down in front of him, “I'm really happy you became friends with LC.” The smile on the boy's face was still there when Enjolras picked him up an hour later.


	4. Why all the commotion?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is everyone so mad at poor Enjolras? Really people!

Enjolras sighed as he pulled away from Michel's kindergarten, it had been three weeks since his little brother had started school and a little over a month since he had moved in with him and things were finally starting to calm down. He was swamped with work as usual, but now he had the actual need of leaving the office at certain times and he felt like the days didn't had enough hours for him to do what he was used to.

He stopped in a red light and dropped his head in the wheel, he had had an average of 5 hours of sleep each night since Michel had arrived into his life and it didn't seemed like things would get better in that sense. If he wasn't working he was taking care of the little boy, and even if he wasn't the most social person on earth it was starting to take his toll on him. The last time he had gone out with his friends, or even had made it to one of the meetings to their NGO had been before his brother came into his life.

He continued to drive and thought about his options, he either cut back on some of his work or he hired someone to take care of his brother for him. He sighed as he entered his office parking lot, cracking his neck as he got out of his car and picked up his briefcase and jacket from the back seat. He didn't wanted to let his personal problems affect his work, reason why his bosses weren't even in the know of the fact that he had ended up with his brother's custody after his mother's death... and yet he didn't want Michel to grow up the way he did, around nannies and butlers instead of family that showed him love and support. 

The subject of his brother and his lack of time left his mind as his boss asked him to assist him in a new case as soon as he walked through the door, and the next time he had time to even breath it was time for his daily coffee with Combeferre and Courferyac. He looked at the spread of files he had on his desk, and with a last look at the clock left his office pulling off his tie for the brief 15 minutes he would take for himself. 

When he reached the café they usually gathered on, he frowned as he didn't see his friends waiting for him. He looked at his clock and saw that he was barely 3 minutes late, shaking his head he made his way inside and lined up to order his usual coffee. Maria, the barista, gave him a smile and went to get his coffee without even having the need to hear his order; with a tired smile he gave her the money (plus tip) and looked around to see if his friends had arrived yet.

He frowned even more when he saw Combeferre and Courfeyrac sitting outside under one of the parasols. “Why didn't you wait for me?” he tried to convince himself he wasn't wining, he was just asking his friends as an adult the reason why they weren't where they were supposed to be at the time they were supposed to be... that was it, truly, no wining on his part.

“Enjolras?” Combeferre asked as he looked at him up and down, “what are you doing here?”

He rolled his eyes and with a sneered moved the only free chair of their small table and dropped himself in it. “Why are you even out here when inside it's so nice and shady?”

“Enjolras, weren't you supposed to...”

“Yes, I have a new case with Lamarque but I just took fifteen minutes for myself. I doubt he'll...”

“Enjolras!”  
“What?”

“Weren't you suppose to pick Michel up early today? Something about the school closing early one day a month?”

The words had barely left his friend's mouth when Enjolras paled and looked at his clock, yes he was on time for his usual break but he was almost 3 hours late to pick up Michel. Without caring about his coffee or anything else, and without even saying goodbye to his two friends he sprinted back to his office. He was tempted to run up the stairs as he waited for the elevator to arrive, but quickly turned down the idea since he was out of breath after running the three blocks from the cafe to his office building.

Once he finally made it to his floor he tried to keep up the appearances, he slowly made his way to his office cringing when he saw the mess of files over his desk and took his car keys and his jacket. After that, he took a deep breath before knocking on his boss' door and blushed slightly as he tried to explain the situation at hand. He nodded as he was chastised by him for the lack of professionalism he was showing by having to leave half way through the work day (even though it was more than half the day, not that he was going to argue that with his boss) and tried not to tap his foot as the older man continued to talk to him about duties and what he needed to do if he really wanted to make a change in the world.

When he was finally free to go, almost twenty minutes later, he tried not to feel sympathetic with his friends; he now get what they meant when they said they hated being lectured by him on daily basis. 

He drove to the school as fast as he was legally able to, and sighed with relief as he saw that there were parents and students still lingering around it. He parked and exited the car, trying to ignore the stares he was getting from the women around. He walked up the three steps that led to the front doors and almost fell down when he pulled at the door to open and it didn't move. He tried to pull it once again, starting to panic as he looked inside only to see all the lights off.

“Excuse me,” he grimaced as a nasally voice asked him from behind him. He turned and saw one of the woman who had looked at him like he was a piece of meat smiling brightly at him. “Didn't you know the school closes early once a month?”

Enjolras was sure he was going to need to go to the dentist after that day, he was clenching his jaw so hard he felt like one of his tooth would break. “I couldn't leave work earlier as I thought I would be able to.”

If she realized he was barely containing his anger, she didn't seem to care. She put her hands on her waist and frowned at him, “Children are more important than work sir, you should have thought of that before ever having one.”

He was sure he was about to burst something inside his brain, he opened his mouth to answer her what exactly he thought of her statement when someone interrupted from his other side. “You should be worrying more about your husband finding out about the affair you are having with Mr. Bellamy than with how other people take care about their children.”

Enjolras turned to the owner of the second voice only to be met with a brunette boy, no older than eleven sitting on the banister and raising his eyebrows once and again as he looked at the woman with amusement in his face. 

She sneered, “That is something that it's not of your business.”

He jumped from where he was sitting, and Enjolras was shocked to see he was even smaller than he thought he would be. He made his way to his side and patted his back, “ha!” he mocked laughed “just like my friend's situation right now, look at that!”

She just huffed and glared at both him and Enjolras before turning on her heel and making her way down the pathway towards the parking lot, yelling at who Enjolras assumed was her daughter as she did so. 

“You can't show them any kind of mercy,” Enjolras turned to look at the boy, who was shaking his head, “if you do, they'll eat you alive.” He took off the cap he was wearing and mock bowed at Enjolras as he did so, “Gavroche Thénardier at your service, Monsieur.”

“Enjolras,” he looked warily at him to what Gavroche only grinned in response. “But she was right in something thou, you are late.”

Enjolras sighed and dropped himself in the first step of the small stairs, burrowing his face in his hands as tried to contain a scream of frustration. “I forgot,” he confessed to the unknown boy, who had sat himself by him. 

“Here, here,” Gavroche patted his back, “happens to the best of them.”

“You don't get it,” Enjolras said moving his hands to pull at his usually perfect hair, “I'm a terrible parent.”

“My sister forgot to pick me up the first day she took me to school, and she didn't noticed until my second year teacher ringed at our home to drop me off.”

Enjolras chuckled, “alright, that might be a little bit worse.” He sighed as he looked down the pathway, “but how do I contact his teacher to see if she has him?” He put his hand on his pocket to try and look for his phone only to remember his phone was sitting inside his briefcase back in his office.

“Who's his teacher?”

Enjolras gave him a look, “Now you're going to tell me you know every teacher in this school.”

Gavroche just waggled his eyebrows and smiled at him. Enjolras shook his head and chuckled, that boy had something. “He's in kindergarten with Miss Cosette.”

“You're Michel's brother? Flo?”

Enjolras didn't even complain about the use of the nickname only his brother was allowed to use when he grasped Gavroche by the shoulders, and as if a bulb had turned on in his head he asked him, “You are LC's Gav?”

“Yes!” The boy seemed proud of being associated with his brother's friend. “R took him home when they saw that it seemed that you weren't going to show up,” Enjolras frowned at that, “Cosette tried to call you but you didn't answer, and she couldn't stay because her father needed her, so R took both of them home and said he would keep on trying to call you so you wouldn't freak out.”

“Looks like it didn't work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was trying to give you guys a chapter a day... but it seems like that's not going to fly with Sunday. Anyway here's the new chapter I hope you like it, I'm sorry for the lack of cuties (though Gav is a cutie on it's own)... but next chapter's going to be full of them!
> 
> as usual... come say hello at [Tumblr](http://liferuinedbytveit.tumblr.com/) I love to hear from you!


	5. Apollo meets Pylades..... finally...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apollo meets Pylades.... and that's a grownup?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed! Emily, JJ91, Jen, LariiTaylor, enjolkitty, i_believe_in_you_my_apollo and to those that send me anon messages in TUMBLR... it makes me soooo happy you have no idea. Also thanks to the 46 people that have taken their time to send me kudos on this story, knowing you guys are reading is my fuel to continue to write. 
> 
> And I think I haven't said it yet, English is not my first language and I'm doing this without a beta... so thanks a lot for being able to overlook my grammar mistakes and sometimes even spelling ones, and again thanks a lot for reading.

Cosette smiled as she walked one of her students and her mother to the door, waving as the little girl turned and said goodbye. She sighed as she closed the door, looking at the clock and then to the corner of the room where as usual Grantaire was sitting with Rémy and Michel, the three of them coloring in a book. 

“R,” Cosette motioned to her friend to come closer, and saying something that made both boys giggle he stood up and walked up to her. “I've called Michel's brother five times and he's not picking up,” she bit her lip as she looked down, “and I told Marius I would have lunch with him nearby where he works.”

“Shut up!” she pushed him slightly as she saw the wicked smirk that had appeared on his face, “it's just lunch, it's the second date!”

He chuckled and put a hand on her cheek, “just be sure he's good to you, alright?” she grinned nodding. Grantaire turned and whistled to the two boys, “What do you think about waiting for your brother with us at home?”

Michel turned to look at Cosette, trying not to get his hopes up. “Can I?”

Cosette smiled at him and nodded, and both boys laughed and ran and hugged her around the waist. She send them to pick up their stuff and moved to take out her phone, “I've been calling his brother after the first half hour, he's not picking up, I called his secretary but she was a b-i-t-c-h,” she cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered the letters and Grantaire tried really hard not to laugh at her; “and told me he was busy and she would give him the message.”

Grantaire nodded, pulled out his phone and entered Michel's brother's number to the memory. Once both boys were ready, and with a last wave at Cosette he proceeded to walk home with the two preschoolers, giving a wave at Gavroche who was sweet talking the fifth grader on the front steps.

.-.-.-.

Enjolras looked with raised eyebrows at the house Gavroche told him to stop in front of. The house was within a five minute drive of the school, in a really good neighborhood and to be honest a lot more than what Enjolras expected. Gavroche smiled at him as he got out of the car and ran up the steps towards the front door. 

Enjolras followed at a normal pace behind him, trying not to glare at the cheeky brunette boy as he jingled the keys he had taken out of his back pack and opening the front door. “Honey! I'm home,” he yelled in a sing song as he dropped his backpack and without even giving Enjolras a sing shoot up the stairs; leaving him standing awkwardly by the front door. 

Enjolras looked around slowly, trying not to pry as he saw all the photos scattered around. There were some of Gavroche and whom he assumed was his sister, but mot of them were of LC; in different poses, ages and with different people. Enjolras was startled when he heard a soft thump behind him, only to turn and see the back of Gavroche's head as he ran down a hallway. With a sigh he decided to follow him and made his way towards the back of the house.

As he got closer, he started to hear the laughter and yelling of his brother and who he assumed was LC. He exited the house through the kitchen and encountered a scene that made him smile. His brother and LC were with their backs to him, both of them with capes around their necks, red for Michel with a huge M in the back and LC with the green one he had already seen. Gavroche was wearing a princess crown over his cap, standing by the boys with a green light saber in his hand; the three of them were looking towards a man standing on a trampoline slightly bouncing up and down. He was wearing a cape like the boys, but his was black, together with an eye mask in the same color. 

The man, whom the boys referred in their yelling as 'Dr. R' was cackling as he waved an inflatable sword towards the back of the trampoline where two plush bears were locked in an embrace. “One more step towards me, Marvel boy, Light Child and Princess G, and the bears shall have to travel to the phantom zone!”

The three boys gasped dramatically, Michel even clutching his chest as if in pain. “Do not worry, Marvel boy,” Gavroche said as he put an arm around each of the boys shoulders, “I know how to vanquish this hellish felon.”

“I'm impressed with your vocabulary Princess G,” they had still not noticed Enjolras standing there. “But doing your homework is no way to vanquish a super villain as fabulous as me,” he did a hair flip, “you shall need to try harder if you want to rescue your friends.”

“Evil doctor,” Enjolras' smile turned soft as he saw his usually quiet brother interact with them, “what is the reason you are doing this?”

“Why do you ask, Marvel boy?” Grantaire lowered his sword slightly, “Because my brother says people are not mean just because, there is always a reason.”

Grantaire put his finger to his chin, looking up as if thinking. “The truth is,” he sighed dropping to his knees bouncing as he did so, “they refused to share their afternoon snack with me,” he mock cried as he burrowed his face in his hands, “I just wanted them to share their cookies with me.”

“We'll share with you!” LC said as the little boys ran to the trampoline, “and then you won't have to be evil anymore!” 

“Alright,” Grantaire said as he stood up with one jumped and then bounced all the way to spring a last jump and land besides the boys. “Shall we?” he did a bow and motioned to the door. It wasn't until that moment that they realized they had an audience; Michel smiled, ran and jumped towards a barely ready Enjolras who just moved to catch him as he was starting to fall.

“Flo!” the little boy exclaimed with happiness as he put his arms around his brother's neck. Enjolras couldn't help but blush slightly as he returned the hug, he had never been a tactile person until his brother came into his life... and even then, he wasn't the most affective of them all. He saw as 'Dr. R' moved to wraps LC by the waist and hoisted him up into his arms. 

“Are you finished with your emergency?” Michel asked as he pulled back to look at Enjolras, and at the confused look on his face 'Dr. R' was quick to add. “I told them how you called me and told me there was an emergency at work, that there was no way in this world that you had forgotten about Michel but that you needed a little bit of help because your boss is a meany that didn't let you go when you had to.”  
He could see both boys nodding, and Gavroche's wicked smile on his face. “He said he's a meany like Loki!”

Enjolras raised his eyebrows at Michel's exclamation, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the other 'grownup'. Grantaire just smiled at him and started walking back inside, Gavroche rushed pass them and up the stairs and both boys squirmed in their arms to be let down just to ran behind the older boy.

Enjolras followed Grantaire inside the kitchen as the other man started to take things out of the fridge without saying anything. Grantaire meanwhile was trying to stop himself from blushing as he started to fish things out of the fridge to start making dinner, he could feel the blond's eyes on him and he found that he liked the sensation. Enjolras cleared his throat uncomfortably as he leaned on the kitchen counter waiting for the other man to acknowledge his presence.

“Cosette had something really important to do,” Grantaire said as he finally pulled himself together and moved towards the counter besides where Enjolras was standing. “She tried calling you, and she even called your secretary a bunch of times but when she couldn't find you she thought it would be alright with both you and Michel if I took him home with us.”

Enjolras nodded and blushed red, ashamed of his own behavior. “I tried calling you a couple of times,” Grantaire had started to wash a bunch of vegetables he had taken out of the refrigerator, just pushing them towards Enjolras motioning to a knife block that was in the counter besides him. With a warily look Enjolras took the knife and started chopping them clumsily. “I was going to try again around the time you were usually done with work, I thought you might pick up then.”

Enjolras said nothing as he continued to chop the vegetables until he startled as he felt Grantaire's hand over his, “hey,” he turned and tried to stifle a gasp as he noticed how blue Grantaire's eyes were, “calm down, it's not the end of the world.”

Enjolras dropped the knife and moved back as if he had been burned, “of course it's a big deal,” he said angrily not raising his voice, knowing the children were nearby. “I forgot my own brother, I was suppose to pick him up and I completely forgot about it.” He had not noticed when he had moved his hands to grasp his hair, until Grantaire was at his side and was gently pulling his hands away before he started tearing strands of it.

“Alright, calm the fuck down,” he was whispering harshly back at him, but meanwhile his words were harsh Enjolras could see a great amount of sympathy on his face. “Everything's alright, he didn't notice you forgot and he's never going to, alright?”

Enjolras took a deep breath as Grantaire continued talking, “You are not perfect, you are going to make mistakes, and that is alright,” Enjolras shook his head in denial. “Yes,” Grantaire squeezed the hands Enjolras hadn't even notices he was still holding, “this is not like school or work, when nothing will be wrong, you are going to mess up but as long as he's happy and healthy in the end it's going to be alright.”

Enjolras nodded, and Grantaire gave him a wide smile dropping his hands. “Now come and help be prepare dinner, and please don't murder the vegetables anymore.”

Enjolras was moving back to pick up the knife and stand besides Grantaire when he let out a chuckled, at Grantaire's raised eyebrow he shook his head, “I was just lectured by a criminal mastermind,” he motioned with the knife at Grantaire who was still wearing his face mask and his cape, “who hasn't even introduced himself.”

Grantaire laughed at that, wiped his hand in a kitchen towel from the pieces of chicken he was cutting and put it out for Enjolras to shake, “Remus Grantaire, please to meet you Flo Edvard.”

Enjolras groaned as he heard his brother's awful nickname for him, “It's Enjolras, just Enjolras please.”

“Then call me R.”


	6. Awkward questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as always all mistakes are my own....

Grantaire sighed as he dropped himself besides the golden angel that ended up being Michel's older brother. He looked from the corner of his eyes as the older man tried to shift positions with both Michel and Rémy half lying over him asleep. He looked like the type of person who tried to stay away from this types of situation, wearing his suit and tie when he arrived. But he was making an effort, at least he had to give him that. 

He smiled as he remembered how he helped him make dinner, and proceed to ask Grantaire a series of questions about things that for him were the most normal things in the world, but for the man besides him seemed as if they were nuclear physics. They had chatted all through the preparation, and then Grantaire had called the boys to the table and they had dinner together.

After dinner, he took over and let the boys decide between playing a board game, doing a puzzle or watching a movie. They had decided on watching 'How to train your Dragon' after a hilarious, at least for R and Enjolras, debate between Gavroche and the two preschoolers over the quality of the message the other films left them. “This is actually good,” Enjolras whispered to Grantaire, startling him slightly from his thoughts. 

He chuckled as he moved to pull Rémy from where he was practically cuddling to Enjolras' stomach, “I know!,” he answered as he moved Rémy until the young boy was burrowing his face in his neck, his small hand curled around his father's dark curls. “Come,” Grantaire whispered to him as he slowly stood up with his son in his arms, and Enjolras moved after him once he had been able to put Michel in his arms without waking him up.

He followed Grantaire up the stairs and to the room that obviously was Rémy's. Grantaire, with some serious multitasking skills, moved the duvet to the feet of the bed and laid Rémy down in the left side. Enjolras followed his example and did the same thing with Michel, panicking slightly when the blond boy started muttering to what Grantaire answered with a series of soft coos that made the boy go back to sleep. 

While Grantaire was setting up some weird plastic bed rails, Enjolras took the opportunity to look around Rémy's room. The four walls were painted differently, but yet in the same motif; the wall to his right had a huge castle, complete with a moat and a princess in the tower meanwhile the wall right besides that one had a forest, with big trees and was that Robin Hood?. The wall opposite to the castle had a magician that he wasn't sure it was either Merlin, Gandalf or Dumbledore with a black haired boy and the last wall had a huge dragon breathing fire into the hole that was the door. 

“Come on,” he was brought out of his musings by Grantaire who left the door a tad open as they left the room. “Rémy still falls from the bed sometimes,” he commented as they climbed down the stairs, “and I always leave a nightlight on, though half the time is for my safety than for Rémy's.”

Enjolras followed the chuckling man as they left Gavroche on his own in front of the television, “Does Gav...” 

“He does what he wants,” Grantaire moved to sit in the steps leading to the garden, motioning for Enjolras to do the same. “He's a really good kid, independent,” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “and in the end, he's not my kid, we had some problems when he came to live with us,” he turned to sit with his leg crossed over his knee so he could see Enjolras up front. “But after a few fights, we made a truce... so he let's me be the adult, and I let him do things like staying up late on Friday.”

Enjolras nodded, though he didn't understood. “And his mother doesn't care?”

He was surprised by Grantaire's laugh, “his mom is a bitch,” he motioned towards the house “hence the reason Éponine's his guardian.”

The topic ended at that, and a few minutes passed between them in silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable one, but to someone like Grantaire who liked to talk almost more than anything else, it was eternal. “So,” he cleared his throat, “How are you coping with living with a 5 year old?”

Enjolras dropped his head back, until he was looking up into the dark night sky. “It's exhausting,” he chuckled as he turned to look at Grantaire, “it's the first time since,” he paused and swallowed, trying to get rid of the knot that seemed permanent in his throat, “since the accident that I'm not ending a day wanting to scream into my pillow, and that's even considering what happened today.”

Grantaire couldn't help but feel warm inside as he hear Enjolras' confession, “It gets better, you know?” He moved to look towards the mess that was his backyard, trying not to fidget as he felt Enjolras' eyes on him. “We go through all that,” he motioned to himself, “you know, as a new parent... you just have to worry less about diapers and more about scrapes.”

The grin he gave Enjolras made the older man smile back, “You just need a little bit of help,” Grantaire moved slightly so he was closer to Enjolras and shoved him with his shoulder. “Yes,” Enjolras laughed, “I guess that's it.”

.-.-.-.-

If Enjolras thought his life had changed once Michel came to live with him, he had no words to describe what happened once Grantaire and his family made an entrance to it. He was suddenly roped constantly to 'family' dinners, playdates at the park, cooking home made meals, eating in the actual table instead of in front of the television... his life started to make a little bit more of sense after the curly haired man and his son (and Gavroche, don't forget about Gav) became a usual thing in it.

For starters, he stopped paying extra in the school for the couple of hours he used to for leaving Michel after school. Everyday, Grantaire would pick both boys up from kindergarten, wait for Gavroche to finish with elementary school and then the four of them would walk back to their home. It was there where Enjolras would pick up Michel a little later than he would have at school, and if he was convinced to stay and have dinner with them at least two or three times a week...well Grantaire was a really good cook.

He learned that Grantaire was 24 years old, an artist and the only parent Rémy had ever known. He had told him, in one of the late night talks when the boys had refused to part from one another and that he had spent in their couch, that Rémy's mother had left him as a newborn outside where he used to live with Éponine before he bought this house; he had walked out to go to work only to see a sleeping baby in a blanket with a letter addressed to him. 

He had also met Éponine, who to be honest frightened him a little but was amazing with the children. She was wary of him, they didn't interact much because even if in Grantaire's words 'he could take care of them' she refused to be a kept woman and worked as a bartender from 5 until midnight, so the only times they saw each other was when he stayed over... and she seemed to hate him staying over. 

Soon a week turn into a month, and out of nowhere Michel's birthday had arrived. “Who's going to be older in a couple of days?” Grantaire had asked Michel as they had had dinner together, Thursday night, only to laugh as the boy raised his hand as fast as he could. “Mine!” he had yelled with more excitement and emotion that Enjolras had ever heard him, even before the accident.

“And what do you want for your birthday, birthday boy?” He had winked at Enjolras as he did so, and just Enjolras frowned at the weird sensation that appeared in his stomach as he did so. “Can we go to the zoo?” Michel asked looking up at Enjolras, at his smile he continued “We can all go! I can invite 'Ferre and Courf too!”

Enjolras laughed and ruffled his hair “I'll ask them tomorrow, alright?” At the boy enthusiastic nod, he chuckled and dinner continued as always. 

“I had no idea how to breach the subject with him,” he told Grantaire as he passed him a cup of coffee. Winter was coming, and the weather was starting to get colder. “He seems better,” Grantaire said as he moved to sit besides Enjolras, wrapping his hands around his coffee to try and keep them warm. Enjolras nodded, “He is, he stopped having nightmares and I think LC is rubbing off on him,” he took a sip of his coffee, “he even made a few friends in the park the day we went on our own.”

Grantaire grinned, and Enjolras shifted uncomfortably in the step as the weird sensation appeared once again. “He's rubbing off in LC too,” he chuckled “he's a little more mellow, and maybe, just maybe,” he turned his blue eyes into Enjolras' “he's starting to pick up a little after himself.”

Enjolras outright laughed at that, “told you our OCD-ness would rub off on you.”

“Nope,” Grantaire shook his head, “not on me, just on Rémy.” 

“So your studio is still a mess?”

“It's not a mess if you know where everything is at all times.”

Enjolras shook his head while chuckling, before drinking the last of his coffee and standing up. “We're going to go,” he motioned towards the house with his head, “I have to finish some reports before going to bed,” Grantaire made a face as he moved to open the door for both of them. “You work too hard,” Enjolras laughed as he picked up Michel's discarded lunchbox from the kitchen counter, “and you meet me now, imagine that.”

It was after the brothers had left, when Grantaire was reading to Rémy in his bed when his son made what he thought was a 'secret' seem not so secret. “Are you dating Flo?” Rémy had asked his father as he closed the book that he was reading to him. Grantaire coughed as he felt like he was chocking from out of nowhere, “Sorry,” he said to his son, turning to look seriously at the young boy, “why do you ask that?”

Rémy moved to lay his head in his pillow, position that Grantaire mirrored beside him. “Because Annie said that his mommy had a boyfriend,” Grantaire put one of his hands on Rémy's hair to stroke it slightly, “and she said that her boyfriend stays over for dinner, and sometimes they go to the park and stuff.”

Grantaire just nodded to him encouragingly, “and she says that, that's the thing you do when you have a boyfriend, you spend time together and you laugh together.”

“And that's why you think Enjolras is my boyfriend?”

Rémy nodded but then scrunched up his face, “but she also said that a boyfriend kisses you, and hugs you...” Grantaire laughed at the face his son was making, pulling him so he was cuddling into his side. “Enjolras is a friend,” he cleared his throat, “doing all the things, except kissing, are things friends do together, not just boyfriends... or girlfriends.”

“Oh,” Rémy said, he started tracing patterns in his father's chest with his finger, “so you don't want Flo to be your boyfriend?” Grantaire couldn't help but smile as his son asked with the innocence characteristic of a four year old. He didn't understand gender roles and sexuality, he didn't understand social pressures and thanks to the many books Jehan had given him for him it was the most natural thing to think his father was in a relationship with another man. “It's time for you to go to sleep,” Grantaire knew the answer to Rémy's question, and he knew his son's lack of filter.

“But Dad,” Rémy whined as Grantaire stood from his bed and moved to the door, “sweet dreams, don't let the bed bugs bite.”

“Good night daddy.”

.-.-.-

“So let me get this straight,” Courfeyrac grinned as they sat in their usual table for their coffee break the next day, “you are finally going to introduce us to your boyfriend and his kid?”

“He's not my boyfriend,” Courfeyrac said the words at the same time and in the same intonation Enjolras did, making Combeferre laugh.

“Shut up,” a slightly blushing Enjolras said to Courfeyrac as he swatted him behind the head. “Michel asked this for his birthday,” he sighed as he looked down at his cup, “and that's the only reason I'm inviting you.”

“Sure, sure,” Combeferre patted his hand softly to what Enjolras huffed and pulled his hand away. “At what time do you want us to meet?”

“I'm picking Grantaire up at ten,” he gave Courfeyrac the finger when he started grinning, “so how about 10.30?”

“On a Saturday?!” 

“No Courf, Monday.”

“Really? Are you going to let Michel skip classes for his birthday?” Enjolras just groaned and dropped his head in the table, only to raise it quickly when he felt a hand in his hair. “I know, never touch THE hair... I'm off, losers.” Enjolras didn't even had the opportunity to answer as his second oldest friend just took off without waiting for a goodbye.

“And yes,” Combeferre said without a prompt, “you were friends with him first.”

Enjolras just groaned as the two of them stood up and left the cafe. “You might deny it to Courf,” Combeferre said once they were on the street, “but it's the first time we've seen you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like you've been acting for over a month now,” Combeferre smiled as he said it, “more calmed, less strung up, you're actually looking healthier now!”

“I'm taking better care of myself, I have to, because of Michel.”

“And can you be totally honest with me and tell me certain artist has nothing to do with it?” Enjolras had stopped halfway through Combeferre's question, and the taller man couldn't help but chuckle as he saw his friend's cheeks and ears turn red. “It was time, I think the last time I heard you interested in anyone was on that barista you claimed looked exactly like the guy from Buffy.”

“For your information, he did looked like Spike... just less blond.” He pointed at Combeferre as he made his argument, but started walking back once again. “But that's the problem 'Ferre,” he sighed as he stopped in front of the door to his building, “he's straight... he's living with his girlfriend.”

Combeferre put a hand on his shoulder, “you didn't tell us that.”

Enjolras just shrugged, “he's amazing, and don't tell Courf but I do like him,” he sighed. “But in the end, no offense, he's just what I need right now.” He gave him a sad half smile as he started walking back to the door, “so I might have a slight crush on him, but he's still a really good friend... what can I do?”

With a last shrug he finally turned back and walked into the building leaving a confused and slightly concern Combeferre behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright... some notes...
> 
> a) Rémy is only 4 years old, he's really smart... smart enough that Cosette (who is a friend of R and Éponine) convinced R to have him tested, and yep... little LC has a high I.Q, making him elegible to start kindergarten sooner. Though please remember, he has a lisp.... I have no idea how to write it, so I don't (also because after a while I find it annoying to read).
> 
> b) I'm someone who doesn't have children. But if I did I would raise them not caring about gender roles or sexuality, allowing them (as my parents did, thanks! mom and dad) to wear what they want and play with whatever they want. But I do think it's important, as Jehan things too, to know how to handle questions hence him giving R books about how to talk about his things to Rémy when he asked; not because it's wrong, but because sometimes kids hear/learn things outside home that go against what you want them to know (and we know how it's society today)... hope that didn't offended anyone
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	7. Lions, monkeys, crocodiles, OH MY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michel's birthday and confusing feelings all around...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I want to apologize. As I said in a post over at my Tumblr... I have ADHD and sometimes I bite more than I can chew, my ADHD has been acting up in the last few weeks and I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long. I'm going to try and get back on the saddle and update this in a few days.....

Chapter 7... Lions, monkeys, crocodiles, OH MY!

“You guys didn't had to get him anything,” Enjolras told Grantaire as the three boys in the backseat chatted among them, “Especially nothing that big,” Grantaire just grinned at him and raised his eyebrows.

“He loves the one Rémy has,” Grantaire said as he fidgeted in his seat as they entered the freeway that would take them to the zoo, “and it's nothing, really.” Enjolras felt as goose bumps appeared on his flesh as Grantaire patted his hand in the driving stick. “Of Course he was going to get him one of those,” a grumpy Éponine, wearing dark glasses said from behind Grantaire, putting a hand between the seat and the window to pull at one of his curls, “he can't live without his, so he doesn't understand how any child can live without one.”

Enjolras tried to keep the smile on his face unchanged at their banter, it's not that he didn't like Éponine (he wasn't exactly fond of her, but anyway) but even as he tried not to be petty her presence usually meant that the attention that Grantaire wasn't putting on either kid was not on him; and if there was something he had always known he liked, was attention. 

“Is not my fault they are so awesome,” Grantaire said laughing, “there are studies though,” he said turning serious as he looked at him, “where they say this type of games help with their development and stuff.” 

“It's alright,” he said as he finally entered the zoo's parking, “I do love video games too.”

“Ha!” Grantaire said mockingly back at Éponine as Enjolras parked the car as close as he could to the main doors. “See, you just don't like them because you suck at them.”

The two boys giggled at his words, which only made Enjolras give Grantaire a mock glare to what his response was a grin that made Enjolras' glare disappear. “Are 'Ferre and Courf here yet?” Michel asked as he tried to look out the window as Enjolras exited the car and moved to let both boys out of the back of it. “I told them to be on time, and 'Ferre said he was picking him up so I think they're around here somewhere.”

Michel grinned and gave his brand new Nintendo to Enjolras before taking Rémy's hand and shooting off towards the main entrance. “Hey! No! Stop!” Enjolras yelled after them, shocked in between running after them and locking the car behind him. 

Enjolras jumped startled as a loud whistle was emitted from just behind him, to what Rémy stopped in his tracks yanking Michel back with him. “What are the rules of any time we go out?”

Rémy looked down, still not dropping Michel's hand while kicking the ground with one his little feet, “No running where you can't see me.”

“And?” Enjolras turned to look at Grantaire as the younger man moved to stand next to him, leaving Gavroche and Éponine to get the backpacks out of the trunk of the car. “No running when there are cars around.”

“Alright,” Grantaire winked at Enjorlas and nudged him forward as he moved towards the boys a few meters in front of them. Once he was by them, and after looking both ways down the parking lane (in an exaggerated manor) he gave them a nod and let them run across to where the ticket booths were. 

“Don't worry,” Grantaire said as he took one of the backpacks from Éponine and put it across his back, “You just have to be a little hard on them at first, you can't imagine the amount of times I lost Rémy in the mall when he was younger.”

Éponine chuckled and hugged Grantaire's arm to her as she yawned, “the boy didn't learn to walk until he was like three,” at Enjolras' shock she lowered her sunglasses and gave him a wink, “he would run and run all the time.”

“Remember the time we had to look for him inside Victoria's secret?” Grantaire laughed as waited for a car to pass before crossing the parking lot street, “Éponine ended up so red just because Rémy asked her if he would ever end up getting bobbies.”

“I did not!” Enjolras felt the pang in his heart once more as Éponine blushed and hit Grantaire in the arm she had been previously clutching to her, laughing before drawing her into him with an arm around her shoulders. “You should have seen her E,” Grantaire's curls bounced as he shook his head while laughing and Enjolras really, really wanted to touch them, “she couldn't string two words and Rémy was standing in front of her, looking up at her with his big green eyes waiting for an answer.”

“I still claim you told him to ask me that,” Enjolras' visibly brightened when he spied Courfeyrac and Combeferre laughing around the three youngest members of their group. “Finally!” Courfeyrac yelled as he set his eyes on the arriving trio, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses just as Éponine's. “You dare to ask me to be here at 10.30 in a Saturday and you have the discourtesy of arriving late?”

“It's 10.32 Courf,” Combeferre said rolling his eyes with a smile at his friend's antics. “And it's not their fault you arrived home after the sun was already rising.”

“How do you dare?” The boys giggled as Courfeyrac mocked gasped at those words, clutching his chest as if in pain, “I'm a descent boy, who is always home for bed time.”

“And this,” Enjolras said as the two men joined their group making their way directly to the gates of the zoo, “are my friends, Combeferre” the before mentioned man gave them a wave from Enjolras' side, “and the five year old,” he shook his head, “no wait, the really tall two year old is Courfeyrac.”

Courfeyrac just flipped him off behind the boy's heads from where he was babbling along Michel, Rémy and Grantaire in front of them. “And this are Grantaire and Éponine,” he motioned to the couple beside him.

“It's really nice to finally meet you,” Combeferre said Enjolras moved forward to present the print at home tickets to the person at the gate, “you have no idea how thankful we are of what you've been doing for Enjolras.”

Grantaire blushed up to his ears and Éponine chuckled, “don't worry,” she answered instead of a flustered Grantaire, her eyes on Enjolras' back as he helped the two preschoolers go through the gate, “it has been his pleasure.”

Combeferre had always been more of the time of person to stay in the back and observe. Both Courfeyrac and Enjolras had always joked about the fact that he was the only thing that kept both of them alive in more than once occasion, and to be honest he didn't disagree on that statement. So what did he do? He observed... and he reached his own conclusions. He saw how during the morning together Enjolras couldn't help but look longingly at Grantaire whenever no one was looking, how he was a lot more patient and calm with Michel now than how he had been the last few times he had seen them together; he saw how Michel smiled brighter than ever, and how both of the other boys always kept him included in whatever they were doing. He saw how little Rémy looked up at Gavroche with hero worship on his eyes, and how Michel kept helping the smaller boy whenever he was having problems trying to do as he did. 

He also saw how Grantaire's girlfriend, Éponine, kept giving Courfeyrac looks and how even in occasion she sent some on his way. He saw how she would send Enjolras' glares behind his back whenever he took Grantaire's attention from her; and the worst part... how Grantaire's attention was easily distracted from her at the first movement or word from his blond friend, which only made her turn around and flirt with any young man that had the fortunes (or misfortune) of being around. 

“'Ferre,” Courfeyrac whispered as the rest of their group made their way to the rainforest habitat, “she's hitting one me!” he whispered yelled at him, grinning in a forced way when Enjolras turned to look back at him. “What do I do?!”

Combeferre sighed as he pushed Courfeyrac ahead of him, he truly had no idea how to proceed in this situation. “Are you alright Mr. Ferre?”

He felt as if his heart jumped out of his chest as the small voice of who now he recognized as the smallest Grantaire startled him. “You definitely shouldn't do that,” the only response to his words was a grin so similar to Grantaire Sr. that there was no way no one could doubt his parentage. 

“Daddy says I'm as quiet as a ninja,” the small boy took his hand as he pulled him along, “and Gav says I'm as quiet as a mouse,” he scrunched up his face as he looked up at Combeferre “I like the ninja thing better though.”

Combeferre couldn't do anything but nod as the little boy kept on pulling him along and talking, not caring if he was paying attention to him or not. He was startled though when he realized he had been pulled into a separate exhibition where an equally confused Courfeyrac and a tired looking Éponine were already waiting for them. 

“Finally!” Gavroche muttered as Rémy dropped his hand and made his way to stand beside Michel and him, forming a line in front of the three adults. 

“Where are Enjolras and Grantaire?” Courfeyrac asked as he scratched the back of his head as he looked at the serious looking kids in front of him. “We got rid of them,” if Combeferre didn't know Rémy thought the world of his father he would have been really scared for the man.

“Grantaire is afraid of crocodiles,” Éponine said pinching the bridge of her nose, “Gavroche jumped into his back when he was watching them and he pretty much ran out, and I offered Enjolras to look after you guys so R wouldn't be alone.”

Combeferre and Courfeyrac shared equally confused looks, “but,” Courf had always been one of those guys that just couldn't help but ask those questions, “but...”

Combeferre took pity on him and asked what was in both of their minds, “but aren't you upset that Grantaire is paying all of his attention on Enjolras?”

Éponine raised her eyebrow as she looked at them, “why would I care if he was paying more attention on him than on me?”

“Because you're his girlfriend?” The two of them jumped when Éponine and Gavroche busted out laughing. 

“Oh my God,” Éponine gasped as air became an issue in between laughs, “Grantaire as my boyfriend,” she muttered as she tried to calm down. “Grantaire and me,” she continue to mumble as her shoulders started shaking less and less with laughter. 

“My daddy likes boys,” Rémy said as he looked at the two older men like they were stupid, “girls are yucky anyway.”

Éponine mock glared at him before pulling him to her by the waist and planting a huge kiss on his cheek, while Rémy squirmed around trying to get away. 

“Anyway,” Gavroche said as he rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, “we think they like each other, and we want them to get together.”

Michel who had been quiet up until then stepped forward, “Flo never smiles as much as he does when we are with R and LC,” he had turned to look at his best friend pulling him to his side with an arm around his small shoulders, “and Annie says that when you have a boyfriend you are happy, and I really want Flo to be happy.”

Combeferre had no words to counter argue Michel's words, and that was the way the three adults were roped into helping two preschoolers and a preadolescent in their evil plans. 

.-.-.

“You didn't had to skip more than half of the exhibit for me,” Enjolras couldn't help but smile as he watched as Grantaire tried to chose what type of ice cream bar he wanted from the car outside the building they had just left.

“I'm not overly fond of reptiles anyway,” he grinned as he saw the overly excited look on the younger man face as he opened his dessert and took the first bite. 

“I get you man,” he was talking with his mouth half full with chocolate as they sat in a bench overlooking the exit, “I had a really bad experience when I was a kid, and since then,” he shuddered as he remembered, “Rémy loves them though, usually Éponine takes him.”

“And why did you come this time then?” Enjolras tried to pay more attention to his frozen lemonade than on the fact that once again they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. 

“I didn't wanted you to think I was a wuss,” Grantaire blush at his words just sent Enjolras into a fit of giggles. “I guess that didn't work out exactly as I wanted.”

“You think so?”

“Hey!” Grantaire shoved him slightly, “I shall find your deepest and darkest fears and I will use them against you, mark my words in the end Dr. R will learn everything there is to know about you lawyer boy.”

Courfeyrac and Combeferre shared a look of understanding when they exited the rainforest exhibition to Enjolras clutching his stomach from laughing too hard as Grantaire and three boys reenacted the latest saga of 'the evil Dr. R' against Marvel boy, light child, Princess G and lawyer boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys!... I'm not completely happy with the end result, but as I said again I'm trying to fix one of my ADHD triggers (bad feeding habits) so I'm gonna try and do better. ILY guys and I hope that you liked this

**Author's Note:**

> so..... I let you guys imagine your E and R as you ever do (just think that Enjolras is a lawyer nowadays, who wants to affect a change... so yes, I do picture him with Mike Warren's clean cut from the first episode of Graceland/or Tripp from Gossip Girl). But this are my Michel's and Rémy's headcanons (just more curls in case of Rémy). [they're at my tumblr!](http://liferuinedbytveit.tumblr.com/private/58438020615/tumblr_mrn0141eKX1qkcgz3)


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